Robin Williams’ brain – and, therefore, his mouth – moved a million miles a minute. The way he was able to absolutely be in the moment as a talk show guest, a standup comedian, an improvisational actor and interview subject made comedy look effortless.

So after years of “Mork and Mindy,” standup comedy, “Good Morning Vietnam” and “Dead Poets Society” where Williams’ verbal skills were paramount, it was shocking in 1990 to see him playing a painfully shy, reticent doctor who preferred spending time with plants rather than people in “Awakenings.” Seriously – if you’re casting a character who is reluctant to speak, does Robin Williams spring immediately to mind?

Williams, as you’ve probably heard by now, was found dead Monday in suburban San Francisco.

Not to disparage his Oscar-nominated work in “Vietnam,” “Poets,” and “The Fisher King,” or his Oscar-winning work in “Good Will Hunting,” but my favorite Williams performance was in “Awakenings” as a doctor researching a drug he hopes can help catatonic patients resume their lives.

Even “Poets” gave Williams a brief John Wayne impersonation and lines such as “How can you describe poetry like ‘American Bandstand?’ ‘I like Byron, I give him a 42 but I can't dance to it!’”

But performing opposite the Oscar-winning Robert DeNiro and unable to rely on his usual manic outbursts, Williams performed against type – understated, quiet, withdrawn … and absolutely memorable. His body language, the fear in his eyes, everything about his performance created a character interested in the world but afraid of the consequences of engaging the people in it. And when he finally did engage them … well, either watch it, or re-watch it for yourself.